Aer Lingus has inked a deal to lease two of aircraft maker Airbus’s new short-haul A320neo jets.

The airline says that operating the new planes will support the airline’s sustainability programme.

The deal was signed with CDB Aviation, an Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing.

The two aircraft were originally destined to be delivered to Russian airline Smartavia in March but that fell foul of EU sanctions on Russia.

Airline chief executive Lynne Embleton said: “This is a great opportunity to bring state of the art aircraft into our short haul fleet. Renewing our fleet is one of the key ways for Aer Lingus to meet our sustainability targets, which is a priority for us over the coming years.
 
"The new generation Airbus A320neo aircraft is much more sustainable in terms of fuel burn and CO2 emissions. These more environmentally-friendly aircraft incur lower landing charges in some key airports.”

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The two new aircraft will replace Airbus A320ceo jets, which will be retired.

The A320neo is expected to enter service towards the end of July.
 
Airbus claims the jet delivers up to 20% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions, and close to 50% reduction in noise footprint when compared to the A320ceo. There are more seats too, 186 versus 174.

The new aircraft are earmarked for the Dublin-London Heathrow route. 

CDB Aviation chief executive Patrick Hannigan added: “Our teams worked hand-in-hand to execute this transaction, as an important element of the Irish flag carrier’s recovery plan from the impact of the pandemic on air travel."

Aer Lingus has introduced eight Airbus A321neo LR aircraft to the transatlantic fleet in recent years.